Contents

Plot

The film begins with the antagonist, Dr Heiter (Dieter Laser), kidnapping a truck driver by the side of a road. Later, two Americantourists, Lindsay (Ashley C. Williams) and Jenny (Ashlynn Yennie), arrive at Heiter's house as they search for help after puncturing their car tire. Heiter drugs the girls and they awake along with the kidnapped trucker in a makeshift hospital ward in the cellar. Heiter informs the trucker that he is "not a match" and kills him. When the girls next wake, they are joined by a new captive, Japanese tourist Katsuro (Akihiro Kitamura).

The doctor explains that he is a world renowned expert at separating conjoined twins, but dreams of creating new beings that share a single digestive system by joining separate individuals via their mouths and anuses. He explains that his previous experiment, a "3-dog", died. However, he explains how he will attach the three human subjects to each other to create a "human centipede". Once the operation is complete, the doctor begins training the centipede to perform tasks. Katsuro, as the front part of the centipede, refuses to do as he is told, and the doctor beats him. When Katsuro has to defecate, Lindsay is forced to swallow his excrement and the doctor watches with great delight. However, Heiter eventually becomes irritated after being kept awake by the centipede's constant screaming and realising that Jenny is dying from blood poisoning.

Dr. Heiter surveys his completed "human centipede"

Two police detectives, Kranz and Voller, visit Heiter to investigate the disappearance of tourists in the area. After the detectives leave, Heiter informs his centipede that Jenny will soon be replaced by two new parts. Katsuro stabs him with a scalpel and the centipede attempts to escape as Heiter crawls after it. Katsuro faces the doctor with a piece of broken glass in his hand and tells the doctor he "deserved" to become an insect, due to prior ill treatment of his family, and then commits suicide with the glass. At this point, the police break into the house and Heiter crawls away to hide in his swimming pool room. Kranz is shocked as he discovers the centipede, and soon finds Voller dead in the swimming pool near an armed Dr. Heiter. Heiter and Kranz shoot and kill each other. Jenny finally dies from her blood poisoning, leaving Lindsay alone in the house, trapped between her deceased fellow captives.

Cast

Production

Writing

Tom Six has stated that the inspiration for the film came from a joke he always made to friends about punishing people who were "nasty or annoying or a child molester" by stitching their mouths to "the ass of a fat truck driver".[7] From here came what he saw as the concept for "a great horror movie"[8] and he began to develop the idea. The inclusion of a German villain was a conscious decision, based upon the German invasion of the Netherlands during World War Two and the subsequent Nazi medical experiments.[8] World War Two also played an influence on the nationality of the other main characters (American and Japanese).[9]

Casting

Casting for the film initially took place in New York City, with filming being undertaken in the Netherlands.[10] Six has said that during the casting process, a lot of actresses walked out of readings with disgust upon hearing the full nature of the role.[8] Having acted and written for a number of films and TV shows previously,[11] Akihiro Kitamuro was a relatively experienced cast member, as was Dieter Laser who had previously starred in the TV series Lexx[12], when compared with Ashlynn Yennie and Ashley C. Williams, for whom the feature was a first major film role.

Directing

When seeking funding for the film, Tom Six did not initially let on that the victims of The Human Centipede would be joined by mouth to anus, fearing that it would put off potential investors, and his backers did not find out the exact details of the film until it had been completed.[8] Additionally, the actors themselves were not presented with a completed script prior to signing onto the film, instead only being given an outline of the film's storyboard.[13]

Effects

Throughout the production process Tom Six stated his intention to create a film that was "100% medically accurate",[13] consulting a real-life surgeon during the creation and filming process.[14] Six has claimed that whilst initially reluctant to take part in the film because of professional reputation, after reading the script the surgeon consulted took a very strong interest in the procedure, devising a method that he believed would work in real life. Six claims that by using an IV drip to supplement the diet of the middle and back parts, the centipede would be able to survive for "years".[7][15]

Reception

The Human Centipede has only received a small number of reviews, based upon its showings at a number of film festivals. Among more mainstream publications, Total Film described the film as a 'disappointment' which 'proved itself to be a slow-moving, repetitive affair that has nowhere left to go by the hour mark.'[16] Whilst Variety was critical of the film's lack of any form of 'social commentary', stating that "[it couldn't] be bothered to expand upon its unpleasant premise, inviting auds to revel in its sick humor by favoring Dr. Heiter... and characterizing the victims as shallowexpendables".[23] Due to the nature of the film, more attention has been given to the film by Horror blogs; among these, FEARnet gave the film a positive review, stating that it was 'a horror import that actually has the confidence and audacity to deliver something disturbingly different.'[24] Cinematical stated that, whilst a potential cult film, 'all in all it's really not a very good film.'[25]

However, in spite of negative reviews, the film won several awards at various international film festivals, including:

Sequel

On 19 October 2009 it was announced a sequel, titled The Human Centipede (Full Sequence) has been planned for cinemas in 2010. 'Full Sequence' will supposedly include a centipede composed of twelve individuals.[31] Six has said how it had always been his intention to make two Centipede films, with the first film existing to get his audience "used to the sick idea" in order that the second could be much more "nasty, with way more medical experiments" in a way that would have been "impossible" in the original, and would have "destroyed" any chance of the film being made.[8]

The Human Centipede (First Sequence) is a 2010 horror film. It is written and directed by Tom Six. The film is about a mad doctor who wants to stick people together so they become what he calls his 'human centipede'.

The Human Centipede did not get very many good reviews[1], but Tom Six says he is making a sequel to the film called The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence).[2]

Contents

Story

The insane doctor kidnaps two women and one man. He then sews them together with their mouths joined to each others anuses. Once the operation is finished he feeds the person at the front food. They then go to the toilet in the other persons mouth.

The police arrive at the Doctor's house to look for the kidnapped people. But the doctor kills them. The person at the front of the centipede and the person at the back also die, leaving the person in the middle on their own. The film ends so the viewer does not know what happens to her.

Cast

Akihiro Kitamura as Katsuro

Dieter Laser as Dr. Heiter

Andreas Leupold as Detective Kranz

Ashley C. Williams as Lindsay

Ashlynn Yennie as Jenny

Reception

Most reviews said the Human Centipede was not very good.[3] However some Horror blogs liked the idea and thought it was funny.[4]